Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling

Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling
Author: Christian Artigues
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2013-03-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1118623703

This title presents a large variety of models and algorithms dedicated to the resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP), which aims at scheduling at minimal duration a set of activities subject to precedence constraints and limited resource availabilities. In the first part, the standard variant of RCPSP is presented and analyzed as a combinatorial optimization problem. Constraint programming and integer linear programming formulations are given. Relaxations based on these formulations and also on related scheduling problems are presented. Exact methods and heuristics are surveyed. Computational experiments, aiming at providing an empirical insight on the difficulty of the problem, are provided. The second part of the book focuses on several other variants of the RCPSP and on their solution methods. Each variant takes account of real-life characteristics which are not considered in the standard version, such as possible interruptions of activities, production and consumption of resources, cost-based approaches and uncertainty considerations. The last part presents industrial case studies where the RCPSP plays a central part. Applications are presented in various domains such as assembly shop and rolling ingots production scheduling, project management in information technology companies and instruction scheduling for VLIW processor architectures.

Advances in Neural Networks - ISNN 2009

Advances in Neural Networks - ISNN 2009
Author: Wen Yu
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 1240
Release: 2009-05-21
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3642015107

This book and its companion volumes, LNCS vols. 5551, 5552 and 5553, constitute the proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Neural Networks (ISNN 2009), held during May 26–29, 2009 in Wuhan, China. Over the past few years, ISNN has matured into a well-established premier international symposium on neural n- works and related fields, with a successful sequence of ISNN symposia held in Dalian (2004), Chongqing (2005), Chengdu (2006), Nanjing (2007), and Beijing (2008). Following the tradition of the ISNN series, ISNN 2009 provided a high-level inter- tional forum for scientists, engineers, and educators to present state-of-the-art research in neural networks and related fields, and also to discuss with international colleagues on the major opportunities and challenges for future neural network research. Over the past decades, the neural network community has witnessed tremendous - forts and developments in all aspects of neural network research, including theoretical foundations, architectures and network organizations, modeling and simulation, - pirical study, as well as a wide range of applications across different domains. The recent developments of science and technology, including neuroscience, computer science, cognitive science, nano-technologies and engineering design, among others, have provided significant new understandings and technological solutions to move the neural network research toward the development of complex, large-scale, and n- worked brain-like intelligent systems. This long-term goal can only be achieved with the continuous efforts of the community to seriously investigate different issues of the neural networks and related fields.

Discrete-Event Simulation

Discrete-Event Simulation
Author: George S. Fishman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 554
Release: 2013-03-09
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1475735529

"This is an excellent and well-written text on discrete event simulation with a focus on applications in Operations Research. There is substantial attention to programming, output analysis, pseudo-random number generation and modelling and these sections are quite thorough. Methods are provided for generating pseudo-random numbers (including combining such streams) and for generating random numbers from most standard statistical distributions." --ISI Short Book Reviews, 22:2, August 2002

Project Scheduling

Project Scheduling
Author: Jan Weglarz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 534
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1461555337

Project scheduling problems are, generally speaking, the problems of allocating scarce resources over time to perform a given set of activities. The resources are nothing other than the arbitrary means which activities complete for. Also the activities can have a variety of interpretations. Thus, project scheduling problems appear in a large spectrum of real-world situations, and, in consequence, they have been intensively studied for almost fourty years. Almost a decade has passed since the multi-author monograph: R. Slowinski, 1. W~glarz (eds. ), Advances in Project Scheduling, Elsevier, 1989, summarizing the state-of-the-art across project scheduling problems, was published. Since then, considerable progress has been made in all directions of modelling and finding solutions to these problems. Thus, the proposal by Professor Frederick S. Hillier to edit a handbook which reports on the recent advances in the field came at an exceptionally good time and motivated me to accept the challenge. Fortunately, almost all leading experts in the field have accepted my invitation and presented their completely new advances often combined with expository surveys. Thanks to them, the handbook stands a good chance of becoming a key reference point on the current state-of-the-art in project scheduling, as well as on new directions in the area. The contents are divided into four parts. The first one, dealing with classical models -exact algorithms, is preceded by a proposition of the classification scheme for scheduling problems.

Population-Based Approaches to the Resource-Constrained and Discrete-Continuous Scheduling

Population-Based Approaches to the Resource-Constrained and Discrete-Continuous Scheduling
Author: Ewa Ratajczak-Ropel
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2017-08-21
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3319628933

This book addresses two of the most difficult and computationally intractable classes of problems: discrete resource constrained scheduling, and discrete-continuous scheduling. The first part of the book discusses problems belonging to the first class, while the second part deals with problems belonging to the second class. Both parts together offer valuable insights into the possibility of implementing modern techniques and tools with a view to obtaining high-quality solutions to practical and, at the same time, computationally difficult problems. It offers a valuable source of information for practitioners dealing with the real-world scheduling problems in industry, management and administration. The authors have been working on the respective problems for the last decade, gaining scientific recognition through publications and active participation in the international scientific conferences, and their results are obtained using population-based methods. Dr E. Ratajczk-Ropel explores multiple agent and A-Team concepts, while Dr A. Skakovski focuses on evolutionary algorithms with a particular focus on the population learning paradigm.

An Introduction to Project Modeling and Planning

An Introduction to Project Modeling and Planning
Author: Gündüz Ulusoy
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 494
Release: 2021-04-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3030614239

This textbook teaches the basic concepts and methods of project management but also explains how to convert them to useful results in practice. Project management offers a promising working area for theoretical and practical applications, and developing software and decision support systems (DSS). This book specifically focuses on project planning and control, with an emphasis on mathematical modeling. Models and algorithms establish a good starting point for students to study the relevant literature and support pursuing academic work in related fields. The book provides an introduction to theoretical concepts, and it also provides detailed explanations, application examples, and case studies that deal with real-life problems. The chapter topics include questions that underlie critical thinking, interpretation, analytics, and making comparisons. Learning outcomes are defined and the content of the book is structured following these goals. Chapter 1 begins by introducing the basic concepts, methods, and processes of project management. This Chapter constitutes the base for defining and modeling project management problems. Chapter 2 explores the fundamentals of organizing and managing projects from an organization’s perspective. Issues related to project team formation, the role of project managers, and organization types are discussed. Chapter 3 is devoted to project planning and network modeling of projects, covering fundamental concepts such as project scope, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS), Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS), project network modeling, activity duration, and cost estimating, activity-based costing (ABC), data and knowledge management. Chapter 4 introduces deterministic scheduling models, which can be used in constructing the time schedules. Models employing time-based and finance-based objectives are introduced. The CPM is covered. The unconstrained version of maximizing Net Present Value (NPV) is also treated here together with the case of time-dependent cash flows. Chapter 5 focuses on the time/cost trade-off problem, explaining how to reduce the duration of some of the activities and therefore reduce the project duration at the expense of additional costs. This topic is addressed for both continuous and discrete cases. Chapter 6 discusses models and methods of scheduling under uncertain activity durations. PERT is introduced for minimizing the expected project duration and extended to the PERT-Costing method for minimizing the expected project cost. Simulation is presented as another approach for dealing with the uncertainty in activity durations and costs. To demonstrate the use of the PERT, a case study on constructing an earthquake-resistant residential house is presented. Classifications of resource and schedule types are given in Chapter 7, and exact and heuristic solution procedures for the single- and multi-mode resource constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) are presented. The objective of maximizing NPV under resource constraints is addressed, and the capital-constrained project scheduling model is introduced. In Chapter 8, resource leveling, and further resource management problems are introduced. Total adjustment cost and resource availability cost problems are introduced. Various exact models are investigated. A heuristic solution procedure for the resource leveling problem is presented in detail. Also, resource portfolio management policies and the resource portfolio management problem are discussed. A case study on resource leveling dealing with the annual audit project of a major corporation is presented. Project contract types and payment schedules constitute the topics of Chapter 9. Contracts are legal documents reflecting the results of some form of client-contractor negotiations and sometimes of a bidding process, which deserve closer attention. Identification and allocation of risk in contracts, project control issues, disputes, and resolution management are further topics covered in this Chapter. A bidding model is presented to investigate client-contractor negotiations and the bidding process from different aspects. Chapter 10 focuses on processes and methods for project monitoring and control. Earned Value Management is studied to measure the project performance throughout the life of a project and to estimate the expected project time and cost based on the current status of the project. How to incorporate inflation into the analysis is presented. In Chapter 11, qualitative and quantitative techniques including decision trees, simulation, and software applications are introduced. Risk phases are defined and building a risk register is addressed. An example risk breakdown structure is presented. The design of risk management processes is introduced, and risk response planning strategies are discussed. At the end of the Chapter, the quantitative risk analysis is demonstrated at the hand of a team discussion case study. Chapter 12 covers several models and approaches dealing with various stochastic aspects of the decision environment. Stochastic models, generation of robust schedules, use of reactive and fuzzy approaches are presented. Sensitivity and scenario analysis are introduced. Also, simulation analysis, which is widely used to analyze the impacts of uncertainty on project goals, is presented. Chapter 13 addresses repetitive projects that involve the production or construction of similar units in batches such as railway cars or residential houses. Particularly in the construction industry repetitive projects represent a large portion of the work accomplished in this sector of the economy. A case study on the 50 km section of a motorway project is used for demonstrating the handling of repetitive project management. How best to select one or more of a set of candidate projects to maintain a project portfolio is an important problem for project-based organizations with limited resources. The project selection problem is inherently a multi-objective problem and is treated as such in Chapter 14. Several models and solution techniques are introduced. A multi-objective, multi-period project selection and scheduling model is presented. A case study that addresses a project portfolio selection and scheduling problem for the construction of a set of dams in a region is presented. Finally, Chapter 15 discusses three promising research areas in project management in detail: (i) Sustainability and Project Management, (ii) Project Management in the Era of Big Data, and (iii) the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the New Age Project Management. We elaborate on the importance of sustainability in project management practices, discuss how developments in data analytics might impact project life cycle management, and speculate how the infinite possibilities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the new technologies will transform project management practices.

Handbook of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Handbook of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Author: Adedeji B. Badiru
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 766
Release: 2005-12-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1420038346

Responding to the demand by researchers and practitioners for a comprehensive reference, Handbook of Industrial and Systems Engineering offers full and easy access to a wide range of industrial and systems engineering tools and techniques in a concise format. Providing state of the art coverage from more than 40 contributing authors, many of whom a

оrgаnіzаtіоnаl mаturіty іn prоjеct mаnаgеmеnt

оrgаnіzаtіоnаl mаturіty іn prоjеct mаnаgеmеnt
Author: Dr.salma youssef
Publisher: ibrahim elnoshokaty
Total Pages: 263
Release:
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

Thіs dіssеrtаtіоn rеvіеws thе knоwlеdgе mаnаgеmеnt‗s rоlе іn оrgаnіzаtіоnаl mаturіty іn prоjеct mаnаgеmеnt. Іt drаws а dіrеct lіnkеd bеtwееn оrgаnіzаtіоnаl mаturіty knоwlеdgе chаnnеls bоth іnfоrmаl аnd thеn fоrmаl аnd оrgаnіzаtіоnаl prоjеct mаnаgеmеnt mаturіty. Thе study usеs а mіxеd mеthоd аpprоаch thrоugh оnlіnе аnd tеlеphоnе survеys thаt drаws spеcіfіc cоnclusіоns thаt оrgаnіzаtіоns usе fіrst іnfоrmаl thеn fоrmаl knоwlеdgе chаnnеls аs thеy bеcоmе mаturе іn thе PM dоmаіn. Іt suggеsts, fоr prаctіcаl purpоsеs, thаt оrgаnіzаtіоns shоuld usе thе Prоjеct Mаnаgеmеnt Іnstіtutе‗s Оrgаnіzаtіоnаl Prоjеct Mаnаgеmеnt Mаturіty Mоdеl tо mеаsurе thеіr mаturіty аnd еffеctіvеnеss wіthіn thе dоmаіn, аnd fоr thеоrеtіcаl purpоsеs thаt thе PMІ shоuld updаtе thе mоdеl tо іncludе thеsе іnfоrmаl аnd fоrmаl knоwlеdgе shаrіng аnd trаnsfеr mеchаnіsms.